Indeed: Atlanta remains the top spot for telecommuters

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Dive Brief:

Atlanta, Raleigh, North Carolina and Washington, D.C. are the top three cities by total number of job seekers looking for telecommuting options, according to new data from Indeed. Rounding out the top ten of 20 cities were Tampa, Florida; Dallas; Denver; Nashville, Tennessee; Austin, Texas; Jacksonville, Florida; and Charlotte, North Carolina.

According to Indeed, a third of the cities listed snagged a spot on the top 20 for the first time last year, including Washington, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Miami and Baltimore.

Atlanta remained the top location for the third consecutive year, Indeed said. Raleigh jumped from its No. 16 spot last year to No. 2 this year. Florida was the best-represented state with Tampa, Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami on the list.

Dive Insight:

Remote work has gained status as a powerful recruiting, retention and engagement tool. Almost two-thirds of workers in a FlexJob survey said they think they would be more productive at home, where they'd encounter fewer distractions, fewer interruptions, have less stress from commuting and avoid office politics. "People across generations and various demographics, such as working parents, freelancers, introverts, those managing chronic illnesses, caretakers, and many more, may have different reasons for why they're more productive telecommuting, but the bottom line is workers across the board say they get more work done from their home office," FlexJobs​ founder and CEO Sara Sutton said in a press release.

And while the popularity of remote work options is clear, as evidenced by Indeed's list, it hasn't worked for all employers. IBM, for example, called all its marketing employees back to the office in the spring of 2017. Such policies don't offer the same benefits to every company, depending on the industry, organizational flow and culture.

For those employers that have decided to incorporate remote workers, clear expectations may help keep telecommuting options from creating problems. Indeed recommended companies ensure managers and workers know how to use communication technology so that employees who work out of the office have as much face-to-face (or voice-to-voice) time as possible.